Archive for the 'Rock' Category

Now this is definitely my 3rd favorite thing to wake up to in the morning. A video has just surfaced of The Mars Volta playing one of four new tunes from their secret show last night in Austin. I love the feel of this song. The relaxed summery verses flow into explosive choruses in a way that hearkens back to their earlier work. The stripped down sound that began on 2009’s Octahedron is still noticeable but I think works well. Here’s hoping Warner Brothers gets the new record to The Mars Volta’s ravenous fans soon.

Okay, I’m not going to sit here and write this expecting everyone to dig this. Because most people won’t. Drone music is something that only certain people can bear to listen to, it’s the fifty mile uphill marathon of the music world. Listening to drone music takes a certain level of active effort on the listener’s part: you bear the repetition, the dissonances, the long running times, and the ear-piercing feedback anxiously waiting for the cathartic moment where it all comes together into beautiful melody. The climactic release of all the tension that has been built up.

After much time, Ross and myself have some full band recordings with our group Idol Collapse. Ross’ new Tascam Dr-07 made some decent sounding stuff considering we were learning how to use it while practicing! Our good buddy Emilio Herce whose blog Coffee and Cynicism is on our blog roll plays the drums and Sam Seda lays down the bass. Give us a check on Bandcamp and know that this is just the start!

I feel like sometimes metal bands focus on the wrong aspects of what metal music should be. It isn’t all about breakdowns and blast beats and burning shit on stage. That shit’s got its place and there’s nothing wrong with it, but sometimes you just need to strip it all down and bring it back home to just fucking laying down some sick riffs and venting out every ounce of frustration. It’s that kind of energy and excitement that really gets me wrapped up in a band, and that’s why I am in love with Kvelertak.

Hailing from a country more well known for its equally epic and tired black metal, Kvelertak seem to turn their backs on the “safe” route by going for an “old school” approach to metal. They manage to mix some old school Sabbath-y doom with equal parts hardcore punk energy and the subversive beauty of Baroness. The result is a riff-happy, melody-driven, hard hitting and aurally fascinating brand of metal goodness. Enough of me blabbing like a fanboy, here’s their badass video for the song “MJØD” which is going to be on their debut album, which is coming out on June 21st:

It’s clear that, if nothing else, these guys have the respect of their peers, as they’ve got John Dyer Baizley from Baroness doing the artwork for their album. So hopefully they’ll get the recognition they deserve. Who knows? Maybe if Baroness blow up like High on Fire has we’ll be able to see this band stateside. For now I’m just hoping we’ll be able to get our hands on their LPs here.

There aren’t words to properly explain Planes Mistaken For Stars’ last and most potent album. It’s very raw, gritty, in-your-face, and not always easy to listen to. Despite this, there’s something very beautiful about their music. Their sound tends to bring in elements of hardcore, folk, and metal (some post-rock even) into a strange globule of potent rock that is anything but boring. Sadly, I missed out on seeing these guys on their final tour because I was not yet 21 and could not get into the venue the gig was taking place at.

Here are some vids of this tremendous band:

These guys really knew how to deliver some badass rock and roll in an unusual package. Necessary (not recommended) listening includes “Mercy” and the compilation record: “We Ride to Fight! (The First Four Years)”

While these have showed up in other of their songs, I can’t recall it being as blatant as it is on this track. Sure, some of the novelty of the two-piece band from Ohio may have slipped on this track, but it’s still damn good and I’m already hankerin’ for some more!

Be sure to check them out on their upcoming tour, they’re known for rippin’ it up live:

THE BLACK KEYS US TOUR
April 8 Univ. of Iowa Memorial Iowa City, IA
April 10 Yuri’s Night Bay Area Mountain View, CA
April 17 Wanee Music Festival Live Oak, FL
April 18 The Fillmore at the Jackie Gleason Theater Miami, FL
April 19 The House of Blues Orlando, FL
May 20 Madison Square Garden New York, NY
June 2 The Depot Salt Lake City, UT
June 3 The Fillmore Denver, CO
June 4 The Crossroads Kansas City, MO
June 8-9 First Ave. Minneapolis, MN
June 10 The Pageant St. Louis, MO
June 11 Bonnaroo Manchester, TN
July 27-28 Central Park SummerStage New York, NY